This invention relates to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to an electronic apparatus wherein a display section for displaying information is provided for pivotal motion with respect to an apparatus body.
A disk player is known which plays back information of a video, music and so forth recorded on an optical disk such as, for example, a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) As a disk player of the type mentioned, a portable disk player is available which includes a display section for displaying information played back from an optical disk.
A conventional portable disk player includes an apparatus body provided with a playback function, which is hereinafter described, for playing back information from an optical disk such as, for example, a DVD and other necessary functions, and a lid member having a display section on which information read out and played back from an optical disk is displayed.
The apparatus body includes a disc rotational driving mechanism for driving an optical disk to rotate, and a playback mechanism provided with an optical pickup for reading out information recorded on the optical disk. The disk rotational driving mechanism includes a disk table for receiving an optical disk placed thereon, and a spindle motor for driving the disk table to rotate.
An operation section for being operated by the user to move a cursor or the like displayed on the display section in an upward, downward, leftward or rightward direction on a display screen of the display section is provided at a corner portion of the front face side of a principal surface of the apparatus body. The operation section includes an operation button which is operated to be selectively pushed down at an outer peripheral portion thereof in four directions corresponding to the upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions of the display screen in order to move the cursor or the like in the upward, downward, leftward or rightward direction so that information of a desired playback object or the like may be selected from within a list for selection of information of a plurality of playback objects recorded on an optical disk and displayed as a selection menu on the display section. The operation section is covered at an upper face thereof with the lid member when the lid member closes the apparatus body.
The edge of the lid member is supported on the rear face side of the apparatus body for opening and closing movement with respect to the apparatus body by a pivotal supporting mechanism.
The display section for displaying information is provided on a face of the lid member which is opposed to the principal surface of the apparatus body when the lid member closes the apparatus body. The display section includes liquid crystal display device which is electrically connected to a circuit board installed in the apparatus body.
In the conventional portable disk player having the configuration described above, when information read out from an optical disk is to be played back, the lid member uncovers the apparatus body and the operation section provided on the main face of the apparatus body is exposed to the outside. If the user operates to push down an end portion or the like of the operation button in one direction, then information of a desired playback object and so forth is selected from within a list for selection of information of playback objects of a selection menu displayed on the display screen of the display section. In the disk player, an optical disk is driven to rotate by the disk rotational driving mechanism in response to an input signal from the operation section and the selected information is played back by the playback mechanism.
The disk player described above is configured such that the user can visually observe the display section if the lid member is pivotally operated until it stands uprightly with respect to the apparatus body. If a first user A intends to make it possible for a second user B to visually observe the display screen, then the user A must operate the entire disk player to turn to a position at which the user B can visually observe the display section. In this instance, if the user A tries to operate the operation section while the disk player is kept in the state wherein the user B can visually observe the display section, then the user A must operate the operation button in a direction different from the direction set originally to the operation button of the operation section. For example, such a problem occurs that, if the operation button is operated in one direction, then although the cursor or the like on the display screen must originally move in the upward, downward, leftward or rightward direction, the direction of the movement with regard to the leftward and rightward directions is reversed because the disk player is directed to the user B. Also such a problem occurs that servoing operation of the disk player is lost by vibrations or the like when the disk player is directed to the user B.